


The Good Die Young Yet We Live On

by veroreos



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Canon, Grown Up, Implied Sexual Content, Kisses, M/M, Minor Violence, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-03
Updated: 2013-08-03
Packaged: 2017-12-22 07:11:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/910383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/veroreos/pseuds/veroreos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Slight AC with grown up Jean and Armin as Commander and Tactician and as an established power couple. They work in perfect synergy. Mostly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Good Die Young Yet We Live On

**Author's Note:**

> A repost of an anonymous request I filled on Tumblr. c:

"How are you holding up?" Hands clutched at his chest from behind, arms wrapped tightly around his torso. Jean didn’t have to look back to know that Armin was busy focusing on their surroundings, likely barely even hearing him. “We’re almost back now. We’ll be fine." He managed to grin, trying to sound reassuring, but Armin only let out a sigh.

"We say we’ll be fine a lot, don’t we? How often is it really true?" Armin let his head rest against Jean’s back, still keeping a wary eye around them. He’d made a few miscalculations earlier during this scouting mission when he’d run into two titans and his horse had suffered for it, and now he was stuck saddled with Jean. Not that he minded being pressed against Jean’s muscular backside, but still, he felt bad for inconveniencing everyone and losing a horse as well.

As if reading his thoughts, Jean clicked his tongue. “We’re still here, aren’t we? I’d say we’re doing a damn good job. Especially you." He could feel Armin’s questioning gaze and cut him off before he could protest. “Quit frowning like that or I’m going to kiss your lips off. You’ve done fantastically for us. Quit fretting about what went wrong, there’s nothing to be done about that now."

Armin rolled his eyes, but squeezed Jean a little tighter. “I’m usually the one telling you that." Jean laughed and Armin couldn’t help but smile before taking another look around.

Emergency flares fired to the left caught both of their attentions quickly.

"Commander!" A women rode up alongside them, a young girl that Armin recognized as one of the trainees only recently inducted in. He also recognized the panic in her eyes, the fear and terror that was new to her and fresh in the soul. “T-There’s a 15-meter class titan approaching quickly from the west!" She swallowed hard and looked down. “M-My squad told me to go on ahead. They’re trying to take it down, but…"

"There’s nothing but plains around here," Armin said with a frown. “Trying to take down a titan of that size on flat ground…"

Jean motioned to his squad. “Squad one, with me! We’ll provide assistance!" Armin grit his teeth as Jean suddenly kicked into high gear, he and the three other soldiers that made up his squad galloping off towards the smoke.

Armin was about to question him when Jean asked first. “So Armin, how are we going to do this?"

Of course Jean didn’t have a plan. Clinging desperately to Jean to avoid falling off the rough ride, he looked up to the sky in thought. “Well, if you take out the legs, it’ll topple over and then you can easily get to the nape…"

"Right, easy—"

"But a titan that big is going to have a powerful kick. It would probably destroy us if we just went for the legs directly."

"…Right."

"However…" Armin peeked over Jean’s shoulder and could see the titan quickly coming up in the distance. “Maybe…" Armin paused to run some calculations over in his head.

Jean gently nudged him with an elbow. Tried to do it gently, anyway, but mostly ended up jabbing him sharply in the side. “Armin, if you’ve got a plan, I’d love to hear it. Right now." The titan abruptly began running and they were about to collide.

"Shoot your gear into the legs and pull it taut, then circle it! It’ll fall!" Armin shouted to the squad. "Split into two groups and flank it! Keep it distracted!"

Jean went left with the squadmate closest to him. Without a word, Armin launched his hooks and managed to pierce the titan’s right leg before Jean began to turn. The man on their side also managed to hit the leg. On the other side, one missed, but the other pierced the left leg.

As it began to struggle, Armin reached for his flare gun, shooting it right into the titan’s eyes. It froze and reached for its face, trying to get the smoke out of its eyes. Together the squad circled the titan and quickly tied its legs together, and after some flailing, it finally lost its balance and collapsed, crashing hard to the ground on its face.

Armin immediately grabbed the reigns as Jean took off, going for the titan’s neck. One deep strike was enough to take it out.

Sheathing his blades, Jean laughed and wiped the sweat off his forehead. “Good job, everyone! And not even a single scratch!"

Armin frowned and pointed the way the titan had approached from. “What about the other squad?" The smile quickly fell from Jean’s face as he rushed back onto the horse, Armin handing him the reigns and readjusting himself to hold onto Jean.

The rest of the other squad was entirely wiped out.

When Jean returned to the new recruit without her squad, she knew and began to cry, but he put his hand on her shoulder and reminded her that they died as heroes and for a noble cause. The tears didn’t stop, but he knew with time, she’d be alright. It never got any easier, but it was something you learned to live with. He gave a glance to Armin, who gave a solemn smile in return. _It’s nobody’s fault._

A crowd was waiting for them when they returned through the gate. There were some cheers, some whispers, some disapproving groans. “Commander Kirschtein! Welcome back!" Jean put on a smile as he waved and greeted those that called out his name. Armin still shared his horse, declining a spare when offered to him on the way back on the grounds of “there’s still time for Jean to do something stupid and I might need to stop him."

He leaned forward and whispered into Jean’s ear. “Hey, there’s a couple of women over there talking about how cute you are."

Jean raised a brow, unable to restrain a curious smile. “Oho? No need to get jealous of them, Armin. I know it’s hard but—"

"I’m not," Armin said casually with a shrug, leaning back. “Just thought I’d fluff your ego a bit. Some people actually like your horse face."

Jean could feel his eye twitch and before he could be stopped he pulled Armin forward and kissed him, head craned back at an awkward angle as he tried to keep his balance on the horse. If the crowd was reacting, the two soldiers couldn’t hear it as they shared a moment of comfort with each other, acknowledging that they were alive and together.

When they went to go deliver their report to their superiors, Armin got on his toes and stole a fleeting kiss before they walked in to the office, and when they walked out, Jean grabbed him by the shoulders and kissed him hard as soon as he was sure no one was looking.

They didn’t share an office, but Armin stopped by regularly to make sure that Jean was doing his paperwork, which he usually wasn’t. He stopped by later that night to find Jean half asleep on his desk.

"I’m pretty sure drooling all over the papers isn’t going to finish it any faster, Jean."

He abruptly sat up, mumbling something about being awake while Armin simply stared, an amused grin on his face. Jean groaned. “How come you can’t do this crap? You’re the smart one that likes this sort of junk."

"You can kill titans but you can’t fill out a few reports?" Walking over to the desk, Armin picked up the papers and took a quick glance over them. “Come on Jean, it’s just mission reports. I’m surprised you’re not finished already, what have you been—Jean!"

Jean had taken the opportunity to pull Armin onto his lap while he’d been talking, now planting kisses on his neck. “I’m tired, and I’ve been thinking about you."

Armin rolled his eyes, but leaned back against Jean’s chest to indulge him. “I can’t fill out your mission report for you."

"Oh come on, we were together the whole time!" Hands wandered, one working to unbutton Armin’s shirt, the other rubbing the inside of his thigh. Armin squirmed and his breathing hitched, but didn’t protest.

"Yes, but two pairs of eyes are better than one." He leaned his head back onto Jean’s shoulder and Jean took the chance to nip at his neck. “You might’ve seen something I didn’t. We can’t take any chances."

Jean grumbled, gently taking Armin’s chin and turning his face to kiss him. They stayed locked for several moments, tenderly exploring each other’s mouths until Armin smoothly pulled away, rising to his feet. Before Jean could protest, Armin shoved the papers into his hands. “We can catch up when you’re not busy with work." He flashed Jean one last mischievous smile before leaving, clicking the door quietly shut behind him.

The mission report was filled out in 10 minutes, and several of the newer soldiers swore their commander was possessed when they saw him sprinting back to his quarters.

They spent the rest of the night catching up until they were exhausted and nestled in each other’s arms. They were both coming down from their high and Armin was nearly asleep when Jean kissed him on the forehead and murmured into his soft hair. “You did fantastic today."

"Mmm," Armin responded, pressing his face into the crook of Jean’s neck. “I was sloppy. You did well, Commander."

Jean cupped Armin’s cheeks, peering into his eyes. Armin blinked and stared back. “Head Tactician Arlert, you have performed your duties with nobility and with a level of skill and wit unprecedented. It is an honor to serve with you." The both stared at each other for a long moment before Armin leaned up and gave him a tight-lipped kiss, soft smiles lingering on both of their faces.

"You too, Commander." He rolled over and curled up into the blanket, turned away from Jean.

"I give you a rousing speech and all you give me is a ‘you too?"" Despite his complaining, Jean curled up behind Armin, wrapping his arms around his torso and idly pressing kisses to his shoulder as they both drifted off to sleep.

Usually they sat together at breakfast, generally surrounded by squad leaders, though many of the new recruits would stare at the couple, intrigued by their relationship. Armin would talk about plans and ideas and stories of old adventures while Jean would mindlessly shove his face full of food, still half-asleep. Sometimes Armin would say something about Jean, to which Jean would wrap an arm around Armin and say something cheery and inspirational about his partner’s wits and their odds for success. Armin would typically then turn a bit red and would shove his own mouth with food to take his mind off the chuckles and stares they got.

They would walk together during training sessions in the morning, generally looking over all the soldiers or discussing upcoming plans together. Occasionally they would spar together, and though Armin wasn’t much of a match for Jean physically, there were a fair number of times where he outsmarted him, and in that way they were equals in combat. Jean would spar a few rounds with Armin, then challenge others to step up and proceed to annihilate them, much to everyone else’s amusement.

Lunch often went the same as breakfast, only with more talking from Jean since he’d finally be wide awake. After lunch Jean and Armin would go to their respective offices to sort out business, though they’d make constant trips to each other’s desks to exchange information (or steal kisses). For dinner Jean would have to drag Armin out of his office and force him to take a break, and generally one of them would be falling asleep at the table.

They’d both work long into the night until eventually one of them would pester the other into finally going to bed. This night, however, when Jean went into Armin’s office to check on him, he was startled by visitors. “Eren! Mikasa!"

They both turned and saluted, though the fiery glint in Eren’s eye didn’t go unnoticed. “You ever hear of knocking, Commander Kirschtein?"

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that you have enough manners to knock, Commander Yeager?" Jean retorted, but he grinned and saluted them in return. “I didn’t hear you two would be stopping by."

"I’m just here to pick up some reports," Mikasa said quietly, lifting the papers in her hand to show him. “Eren wanted to come and check on Armin."

Eren turned a bit red and looked away. “We haven’t seen each other in awhile is all, I just wanted to make sure he was adjusting well to his promotion…"

A hand on his shoulder caught Eren’s attention. Armin had risen from his chair and made his was around the desk, a warm smile plastered on his face, unable to hide the joy in his eyes. “It means a lot to me, Eren."

Before Jean knew exactly what was happening, suddenly the three were locked in an embrace, Eren and Mikasa holding on tightly to Armin and Armin turning bright red but clinging on just as tightly. He felt awkwardly out of place, but thankfully the three dispersed before he felt the need to step out.

Eren and Mikasa bade Armin farewell and made to leave. Eren stopped in front of Jean, and they both took the moment to stare each other up and down. The bitter flame of their rivalry had died away long ago (mostly), and they’d both grown so much since their days as trainees—too much had happened to hold on to such petty vendettas, and they’d finally acknowledged each other as excellent soldiers long ago.

In a moment of mutual understanding, they shook each other’s hands, and with that, Eren and Mikasa departed.

That night, when they lay together in bed, Armin remarked upon it. “I’m glad you and Eren get along these days."

Jean snorted, crossing his arms. “We’re not kids anymore, Armin." Armin shot him an incredulous look. “I mean, Eren is still as thick as he used to be, if not more so, but it’s not a bad thing." He shrugged, tugging the blankets over the two of them. “We’ve grown up."

"I guess we’ve all grown up," Armin murmured, curling up into Jean’s arms. Jean ran a hand idly through Armin’s hair, holding him close.

"…I’m glad Mikasa grew her hair out."

Suddenly Jean was being pushed off the bed, and a pillow being shoved into his face. “Ow! I’m kidding, I’m kidding! Your hair is way nicer, Armin!"

It took half of the night for Jean to convince Armin to let him sleep on the bed instead of on the floor, and at breakfast the next morning, they were both falling asleep on each other’s shoulders.

Everyone knew well enough not to disturb them.


End file.
